Broken
by SonicWhale
Summary: Set after the events in TSOM. Robin has been acting strangely towards Maria as they've grown closer, can Maria figure out why? Will they still fall for each other? Or will this wedge that Robin is driving between him and Maria separate them for good? Rated T for Mature Themes & Self Harm. (Could Be Triggering - Reader Discretion Is Advised) Please Read & Review :)
1. Moves and Countermoves

I ran through the forest, my feet pounding on the leave-strewn ground beneath me. My deep blue dress flapped around me and my blood pounded in my ears as I hurtled past the countless trees that stood watch to the events unfurling before them. I heard birds up above, chirping at me, as if they were trying to speed me along. I clutched the object I was holding in my hand even tighter, if I was to drop it now then all was lost. I couldn't run from him much longer, my lungs were screaming for me to stop, my legs in mutual agreement. I heard the sound of his approaching footsteps, beating like a drum on the twisting route I was taking through the forest, closing in on me, like a predator to it's prey. Seeing the familiar clearing ahead of me, I used my last ounce of strength to speed forward to supposed safety. Once in the centre of the small open space that held so many memories I stopped, turning to face my potential captor, concealing the object in my possession behind my back.

I saw that oh-so-familiar figure approach the clearing and I felt a small shiver run down my spine, from excitement or exhilaration I wasn't sure.

A smug smile grew on my face as he got closer.

"Oh what a surprise seeing you here Robin! Is something the matter?" I questioned sarcastically.

"Oh very funny Maria. Give it back." Robin responded, walking down to meet me at the clearing, minding the roots that splayed out before him. That was one of the advantages of living in the forest your whole life I supposed; knowing where to put your feet if you didn't want to experience the pain of a badly twisted ankle, or worse.

"Give what back Mr DeNoir?" I asked innocently, tilting my head to the side slightly.

He reached the bottom of the clearing and started walking steadily towards me. "Oh I think you know exactly what Miss Merryweather." He said, getting closer with every word. My smug smile faltered as he came within breathing distance of my body, looking down on me slightly, with me looking up at him.

**"Give."**

**"It."**

**"Back."**

He rumbled, his eyes flashing darker than their already impossibly brown colour. He was so close that I could hear each word, crisp and clear, the way he wanted it, so I could have no denial about what he said. I gulped, it was unusual for us to be this close, it was probably due to the personal value of the item I had "stolen". It had him all worked up, I knew it would, but I still didn't expect him to enter my personal space, that rarely happened. However I hadn't anticipated my reaction to his, I didn't anticipate that him being so close to me would set my skin alive when I could feel his body heat radiating from him, I didn't anticipate that I would enjoy him being so near me, for reasons I didn't understand.

Taking a step back from him I presented the thing I had...borrowed from him. A hat; _his_ bowler hat.

"What, this?" I asked, the smug smile returning to my face.

He reached for it, just as I yanked it behind me, holding it from his reach.

"Maria." He warned. He made another move to grab his hat, I changed the position of it, pulling it to the other side of me. Moves and counter moves. "Maria you're infuriating!" He cried exasperated. I grinned at him, about to make another witty remark when his arm swung behind me so fast I hardly saw it, but I felt what came next. It all happened in a flash; shocked I stumbled back, him being pulled with me, his hat flying across the clearing, and him barely catching himself on his hands either side of my head so as not to crush me with his weight s we landed on the ground, in a slightly deeper part of the clearing than we had fallen from. That's what you got when you were in a slightly slanted part of the forest I suppose. _Damn roots_. I thought. But I was stopped from thinking any further thoughts whatsoever when I glanced up at Robin on top of me, his legs entangled with mine. Our faces just inches apart, his curly brown hair un-obscured and un-tamed by his precious bowler hat. His eyes held something I had never seen before and his lips were slightly parted, his breathing heavy,shallow and noticeably faster than normal but nothing to match the rate of my heart beating beneath him. I could feel his chest brushing slightly against mine with every breath he took, I looked into those deep brown eyes, losing myself in them. It felt like for that one minute we connected. Neither of us said anything, the birds were no longer chirping, there was no rustling to be heard from any form of creature, there was no noise at all except Robin's heavy breathing and my beating heart. It was as if the whole forest had stilled, frozen in time, waiting to see what happened next. And then as if hearing my one coherent thought, Robin removed himself from the space above me with a cough and time continued, despite my unwillingness to leave that one moment. It wasn't until he had gotten up that I had even realised I had been holding my breath. I shakily exhaled it. He walked quickly across the clearing to retrieve his hat, leaving me lying on the forest floor, revelling in the connection I thought we had both felt. Before I had time to properly comprehend what had actually just happened he was back, offering out a hand to help me up, the hat squashing his fine brown curls. I took it gingerly, still unsure of what it was that I had felt; where my heart had been in my throat, my fingertips had been shaking and my brain had gone numb. But I knew I wanted to feel it again. As long as it was Robin who made me feel it. And that scared me beyond measure. When I had rose from the ground he mumbled something that I couldn't hear let alone understand and walked away into the woods, the trees seeming to cover him, as if shrouding both him and the answer to the mystery he had left me with. Had he felt the connection I had? And if he did then why did he walk off like that? What even was it that he was making me feel? Had I fallen for him? Had he fallen for me, Quite literally? Or was it one-sided? Did he not like me? Did I even want him to like me? Were we not friends any more? All of these questions whirled around my head and I stood there, unable to answer a single one of them.


	2. Realisation

**This chapter is slightly shorter but still okay I hope? I will try to start making them longer if you want, but some reviews would be really encouraging as well! ^_^**

I walked wearily back to Moonacre Manor, feeling confused about the recent events that had taken place and anxious about when I would next see Robin. If I was to see him again at all after our little escapade in the forest. As I approached the house, I started to wonder about everything that had happened and what it all meant. As I opened the door and walked in I started to feel dizzy, my head swimming with all the possibilities of what _could _happen, the unsolved mystery of what _had _happened and trying to understand the difference in-between.

Closing the door behind me, I peered into the living room of the gloriously built mansion.

Uncle Benjamin and Loveday where resting on the settee, Wrolf laid by their feet. Upon hearing the lock click back into place they both lifted their heads to look at me and Wrolf came bounding over to say hello. Dropping to my knees I embraced the big black dog. Ever since that fateful night where I had saved the valley, Wrolf had been able to change forms from a dog to a lion freely, mainly choosing the latter when he felt threatened or protective of somebody or something, namely me, the other Merryweathers, a few selective members of the DeNoir clan and the roast chickens that Marmaduke sometimes gave him, a sight that turned out to be rather amusing.

I looked into the eyes of the aforementioned animal and he gave me a knowing yet quizzical look, as if he knew something was wrong, he just wasn't quite sure what. I rested my forehead against his and he whined in my ear, nuzzling closer to me.

"Maria?" I looked up at Uncle Benjamin, who was standing in the doorway of the main room, looking at me worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

I got to my feet, stroking Wrolf behind his ear as I did so.

"No Uncle, I'm fine, I've just got a headache that's all." I answered partly honestly. I did have a headache, but that definitely wasn't all.

"Oh...why don't you go for lie down then, it will do you some good." He answered, nodding at me kindly. Loveday appeared next to him, staring at me fretfully, but with something behind her eyes. Like she knew something. I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thankyou Uncle, I think that would be a good idea." I said, heading up the stairs. Wrolf stayed at the door but he seemed content so I didn't call him up with me. Loveday still looked concerned but I tried my best to give her a convincing look as I climbed the last few steps. As I turned the corner that lead to the corridor to my tower I heard her mutter to Uncle Benjamin: "I should go and talk to her." to which he replied "Maybe. Let her rest first though." I did love him. As much as I had grown to adore Loveday as well, I didn't feel like talking right now.

As I walked along the corridor and up the other set of stairs to my room I felt all the questions I had come back to me instantly, as if they had only been quietened for a few minutes, but never gone.

Entering my room I closed the door behind me. Leaning against the wood I let my eyes slip close and exhaled heavily, resting for a while. I opened them after a few moments and walked over to sit on the edge of my bed. If I was being completely honest with myself I _had_ liked Robin being so close to me. That was what scared me. I shouldn't like that should I? Not so much because of the age gap between us which really wasn't that big, (I had recently turned 15 and Robin was soon to be 18.) but because it was _**Robin**_. And Robin was well, he was Robin! He was my best friend for crying out loud! Did I really want to jeopardise that over some silly crush I might have. Although I knew that I would. Because I knew it wasn't just a crush. If I really thought about it, I had felt like this for a longer time than I had first thought. although granted the feelings had been subtler until now, they had nearly always been there. Niggling at the back of my mind, coming forward slightly whenever Robin was around. But now they had been booted to the front of my mind and I didn't know what to do about them. I laid down on my bed, closing my eyes again.

I did love being close to Robin. I loved the way my skin lit up with electricity whenever we happened to touch. I loved how his eyes were such a deep brown that you could look into them for a lifetime and still not see the end of them. I loved how he could make me laugh without even trying, with his arrogant comments that had grown charming to my ears over time. I loved how his curls where so unruly that they curled around his hat, desperate to escape, to be seen. i smiled a little at the image of him behind my closed eyelids. I loved the way he made me feel.

My eyes flew open.

_Did I __**love Robin**__?_

I stared up at my ceiling, watching the painted stars on the dome twinkle and shine, feeling a few things click into place, and other mysteries to become more unravelled, what was I supposed to do now? Did he like me as well? Did he feel the connection in the forest? After a few minutes I managed to calm my breathing and heartbeat to an almost normal level. Looking up again I started feeling at peace for a few moments, letting my worries be carried away by the beautifully illustrated night sky.


	3. A Broken Robin

**Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, they made me really happy! ^_^ **

_**Just to let you know the POV will change between chapters but I will always let you know, in case it's not immediately obvious.** Sorry if it seems like I'm dragging it out a bit but I'm really enjoying writing this and I intend to carry on writing this for a while :) which means there's going to be quite a few chapters? I hope that's okay, I just want to make sure it's good and a detailed story :) _

_**Anyway, there's Self-Harm in this chapter which could be triggering so reader discretion is advised **_

_So this chapter is set the same day as the last two but follows **Robin's view of events** on what happens after the 1st chapter. _

As soon as I was out of eye shot of Maria I started running, whether trying to clear my head of the thoughts I was thinking or trying to outrun what had just happened I wasn't sure. All I knew was I had to get as far away from Maria as fast as I could. It wasn't right, it wasn't _appropriate _to be thinking such thoughts about a _lady_, much less a Moon Princess. Even less so because it was _**Maria**_! My blood burning from running and the blush that stained my cheeks, I slowed down to a jog, placing a hand on my bowler hat to keep it on my head. As much as I had tried to deny it over the year or so that we had known each other; I did have feelings for Maria. I had battled with them for a long time and I wasn't about to lose that fight now because of some stupid mistake. Damn it. I should have gotten up straight away. I shouldn't have let myself stay there, suspended in the air above Maria_, _entranced by her. I stopped and leant against a nearby tree. If I closed my eyes I could still see her. Her lightly coloured chocolate brown eyes looking at me, looking at her. Her lips looked plump and perfect, a gentle shade of pink, so delicate, so precious, like soft rose petals. Her beautiful auburn hair splayed out against the crisp leaves on the ground, enlightened by the suns rays which were peaking through the leaves of the trees, illuminating her, making it look like her hair held every shade of a sunset, making her shine, making her look magical. My breath had caught in my throat. My fingertips had been mere centimetres away from her, I had ached to just move slightly and brush my hand through her silky locks.

That had been when I had been able to shake myself out of my reverie, the sheer desire I had felt towards her, the pure love mixed with lust had been shocking enough to crash me back into reality with a forceful blow. I had got of of her as quickly as I could, fearing if I stayed for even another second that I would lose control and kiss her, damning the consequences.

Opening my eyes I started running again, trying to shake off the bad thoughts I knew were coming. There was no way I could have kissed her. _She shouldn't have to be stuck with someone as pathetic as you_. A voice reminded me. I knew it was right. She was too good for me. _She could have anyone she wanted, why on earth would she want you? You're lonely and pathetic_. The familiar voice said. We had grown to agree on almost everything in the number of years it had tormented me. The blood-curdling thing was that it was me. It was my own voice. Somewhere in the back of my mind my brain had decided to give my bad thoughts a persona. Sometimes there was more than one voice. Sometimes it was more than just me pointing out all of my flaws. Quite a few times it was my fathers words echoing in my ears, telling me how much of a disappointment I was, how much of failure. Other times it was the other DeNoir boys telling me how I was so stupid, so useless. But whatever form they took, my thoughts were always there to remind me of my weaknesses, my mistakes, my blemishes. The thoughts had gotten louder over the years, clearer. Whispering spiteful things to me in the dead of night. Telling me everything I knew to be true. S_he is the epitome of perfection, where as you are the epitome of imperfection. _I thought.

As I neared the edge of the forest I slowed down again, stopping when I got to the familiar setting that happened to be one of my favourite places in the world. It was at the top of the forest where the woods just stopped and where the forest itself had turned into one enormous cliff face, with sheer drops on all sides. It was there that you would find a little ledge of cliff that jutted out into the space ahead. This place was a complete secret to anyone but myself. It was rare for anyone to come out this far, much less find the small ledge and sheer drop shrouded by trees, as if protecting the view it held from unwanted eyes that wouldn't appreciate it's beauty. But I did. And I had been the one to find it after an exhausting day when I had considered running away and had ran as far as the boundaries of the forest would allow. Finally reaching the end of the valley, and discovering what was soon to become my most special and secret location.

Stepping forward I walked out onto the sturdy ledge and sat down on the threshold between solid cliff and open air, my legs dangling off the edge. Breathing in the fresh smell of the breeze I let myself be swept away by the beautiful scenery that never failed to take my breath away. Beautiful naturally sculpted green valleys lay out before me, stretching vast and wide and extending as far as the eye could see, as if covering the landscape in a perfectly moulded grassy blanket, sweeping over the distances surrounding Moonacre Valley. The hillside was dotted with trees, some naturally bare, twisting and extending, eerie in a wonderfully mysterious way. Others could be seen to be coated in pine needles if the observer looked closely, their dark trunks and evergreen colours adding a glorious contrast to the spreading valleys. There were also tall standing, deep rooted apple trees, their fresh leaves fanning out, spanning the air, reaching for the sunlight, their apples both ruby red and emerald green glistening in the setting sun that was casting a beautiful golden-red light over the picture laid out before me. Reminding me of when I had seen that exact same shade earlier that day.

Cursing the image of Maria laying against the forest floor that appeared before my eyes, I blinked, her beautiful hair moulding into the sun's golden rays, covering the valleys before me. Marking everything I saw with _Maria_. I cursed again. I had been doing that a lot lately, especially when Maria was involved. The thoughts swirled round my head again:

_You could never be good enough for her._

_You are ignored._

_And replaced._

_And worthless._

_Because nobody loves you._

_Not a pretty girl._

_Especially not **Maria**. _

_Loveday tolerates you._

_But she doesn't need you anymore._

_She's found someone to take care of her better than her pathetic excuse for a brother._

_Not even your own father loves you. _

_You're **broken** Bird-Boy._

_You're just a robin with a broken wing._

_A robin with a broken heart._

_Poor little Robin with broken life._

With tears welling up in my eyes I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my small dagger. The silver blade settled on a straight wooden handle catching the light, making the metal gleam. Running my thumb over the initials _RDN _carved roughly into the wood towards the base I turned it over in my hands before slowly pulling down the left sleeve of my leather jacket. My scars were clear in the setting sun, the older, whiter ones glistening in the light. I had lost count of how many I had. Some were in neat columns, others in rows. Some were diagonal, criss-crossed. Older scars were faded, the newest ones were raised and bumpy, but whatever they looked like, however they were laid out, they all had one thing in common. They were all self made.

Feeling the tears brimming against my eyelids I took my dagger and held it above my skin. Hovering for a moment, before picking one of the few areas on my arm with less scars. Pushing the blade into my skin I pulled it across my arm, feeling the metal sting and burn me, feeling the tears slip from their barricades and down my face, but feeling the relief I craved wash over me in a wave of bliss. Repeating the action two more times I held my arm over the edge and watched the blood run down my arm, dripping in little red beads. I imagined them hitting the ground far, far below and gave a little sigh. Looking out into the distance I watched the last peak of the sun start to slip behind the rolling hills, its rays moving with it, as if waving goodbye.

I looked at the bare, twisted trees, the evergreen pines, the fruitful apple trees and I gave a small watery smile. Looking at the seemingly distorted, the seemingly beautiful and everything inbetween, and taking satisfaction in the fact that I could admire the beauty in every one of them.

I imagined myself flying, soaring high above the clouds, high above my worries, high above my pain, dancing in the golden sky. But one thought brought me plummeting back down to earth.

_Silly boy. _

I thought.

_A broken Robin can't fly. _


	4. Tea and Truths

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Their really inspiring me! Considering I feel a Writers-Block approaching I'm trying to brainstorm a lot but I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as previous ones and also its bit shorter, sorry :3 **

**Anyway this chapter is set from _Maria's POV._**

I cautiously made my way down the staircase after awakening from my accidental nap feeling a bit peckish. I had hoped that I could slip into the kitchens unnoticed and receive a slice of pie of some biscuits from Marmaduke, but descending upon a creaky step quickly demolished that plan. I winced as the loud creaking noise echoed its way through the household.

"Maria?" I heard Loveday call from the living room.

I still wasn't in the best mood to begin conversing, but I figured it had to be done at some point, may as well be now. Besides I could always make up some excuse about not feeling well or something. Right?

As I walked quickly down the traitorous steps, across the hall and into the living room I beg to dread the rapidly approaching conversation. I was tired and probably wouldn't make the best company. I told Loveday this, to which she just laughed and patted the space between her and Wrolf on the large, comfortable and vibrantly red settee, which added the nice air of a _DeNoir _touch to the room. There was a steaming pot of tea settled on a small white table next to the settee alongside a set of three or four beautifully decorated china cups. Looking outside the window I noticed the sky had darkened to a mystical black colour, the stars twinkling against the dark blanket of night. I hadn't realised that I had been asleep for so long! Loveday and Wrolf were illuminated only by the glow coming from the sizeable fire that was settled in the grand fireplace at the front of the room. I brushed off the lack of Miss Heliotrope as she was in her study reading when I left for the forest this morning and she was there when I got back and it didn't surprise me to discover that she was probably still in there! However as I sat down between my soon-to-be aunt and the big shaggy black dog I did notice the considerable lack of male company.

"Loveday?" I said turning to face her. "Hmm?" She replied, pouring some hot tea into one of the teacups and passing it to me. "Where is my Uncle?" I questioned, accepting the tea gratefully. "Oh, he's visiting the DeNoir Castle, something bout organising a feast for tomorrow night." My heart stopped for a split second before ramming into gear again. "What? Why?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm although it still sounded little strained. Loveday gave me a puzzled expression as she poured herself some tea. "Tomorrow's the anniversary of the day the curse was broken? Don't you remember Maria?" Oh No! I had completely forgotten! "My father wants to organise a marvellous celebration to honour not only you and the sacrifice you made for the whole valley on that apocalyptic day, but also the union of our two families, and of Benjamin and I." Loveday explained. "But fear not Maria, _you _are the guest of honour at this feast." She said winking and taking sip from her own cup. "There will be food, obviously, and drinking, though you can't have a lot, and dancing. There will be special dances as well, for Me and Benjamin and for you and Robin-" My head had been swimming with the realisation that I would have to see Robin so soon after our awkward experience in the forest, but now I had to dance with him? It was too much! "What why?!" I exclaimed in anguish. Loveday gave me another quizzical look. "It's a tradition to have the children of two previously rivalling families to dance together, to express the good faith between the families and uphold alliances. Especially since it's such a special anniversary. The DeNoir clan are very fond of maintaining this tradition, not to do so would be a great disrespect. Anyway I thought you and Robin were friends? I thought you were close now? You seem to be spending a lot of time together. Has anything happened?" She inquired, looking worried.

My head was bursting with questions, I needed to tell someone! But could I trust Loveday? Of course. But did I really want her knowing that I liked Robin? My lips trembled as I took a deep breath and relayed everything that had happened, leaving out some details, such as how desperately I had wanted Robin to kiss me, or how his body pressed against mine had made me feel. "-and I have come to the sudden realisation that I very probably might have possibly fallen in love with Robin." I finished, holding my breath, waiting for a response. During my rant Wrolf had settled his head comfortably in my lap and I started to stroke behind his ear as I awkwardly waited for Loveday to say something.

"I knew it." She mumbled. "Huh? How?" I inquired, shocked. "I see it in your eyes when you talk about him, even if you don't realise it's there." I paused for a moment, admiring Loveday's intelligence. "It's the same look he gets in _his_ eyes when he talks about _you_ you know." She remarked slowly. I choked on my tea, an accident that Wrolf didn't like very much, groaning at me as my body shook, a blush forming on my face as I coughed. Loveday gently rubbed my back as I recovered. "What are you saying?" I croaked. Loveday gave me a warm smile. "I'm saying he loves you too you silly girl" She said with a small chuckle. My mouth formed a tiny 'o' as I contemplated what she had revealed. Was Loveday right? Or had she been mistaken? If she was right then that just opened up even more doors and questions. If what she said was true, then why did he pull away so suddenly when they had gotten close? I was pretty sure that Loveday had gotten it wrong, but as I looked into the flickering fire and sipped my tea I couldn't help but wonder at the possibility that Robin could like me back, and consider what I should do about it.


	5. Getting Ready

**Hey guys! I like writing this story, but I really would love some more reviews, hearing feedback on this really fuels my energy and I would love to hear _your _opinion on how _you_ think its going! **

**Sorry for not updating in a while but I've had some stuff to deal with yada yada yada I'm sure you don't want to know the boring details! But I'm aiming to do 1 chapter a week minimum, but the summer holidays are just around the corner so I should be uploading a lot more then!**

**Anyway, I was finding it difficult to choose a POV for this chapter but I eventually decided it would be best to do this one in _THIRD PERSON_. There won't be many like this as I don't want to confuse you guys but it was just the best way to write this one ^_^**

Robin stood in front of the old, dusty mirror in his room, desperately trying to arrange his crimson scarf perfectly around his neck. He was wearing his best leathers and had been given freshly plucked feathers for the feast. He would be seeing Maria in a few hours and he was still on edge about how he should act around her. Should he say something about it? Or should he just brush it off and act as if nothing had happened? He released the damned item of clothing and buried his face in his hands. Why did things have to be this way? He thought. _Because it's nothing less than what you deserve. _He reminded himself. Shaking his head he removed his hands and sighed. He gave his reflection a stern look, telling himself that no matter what happened tonight, Maria was his friend, and he wouldn't– no, _couldn't _do anything to jeopardise that.

Maria stood upright, trying not to groan as Miss Heliotrope pulled the corset of her dress tighter.

"Now Maria dear, this is a very special night, you want to look presentable." She said, yanking the strings of the bodice. Maria couldn't help but feel like a puppet bending to the will of it's master.

She looked up as she heard her door creak open and saw Loveday step through.

"Its okay Miss Heliotrope, I can take it from here, I'm sure you have other duties to take care of, the feast is in a few hours, spend the time on yourself for a change." She said smiling fondly at the woman trying to constrict Maria's lungs. Miss Heliotrope smiled gratefully at her and hurried out of the room, casting an affectionate glance at Maria as she shut the door behind her.

"Thankyou." Maria breathed as Loveday loosened her corset slightly. "I thought she was going to kill me!" She laughed shakily. She heard Loveday chuckle softly behind her. "She means well." She chastised. "I know." Maria replied as Loveday tied the strings into neat bows. "She can just be a little over-bearing at times." Loveday nodded understandingly. "There we go." she said, turning Maria around. "Maria." She breathed. "You look beautiful."

Maria turned to see her reflection in the three piece mirror atop her desk.

The dress really was stunning. It was a tight corset, pure white gown that flowed elegantly down to her ankles. It was beautifully adorned with embroidered scarlet flowers that ran from the bottom-left corner of the dress, up her gown, long the top of her bodice and finally settled home on her right shoulder. It also had thin white satin sleeves that waved gracefully when she moved. Maria could hardly speak. "Wow." Was all that managed to escape her lips. "Where did you _get_ this dress?" She whispered. "It was mine, a very long time ago." Loveday responded. "It's yours now." Maria turned to face Loveday, shocked. "Loveday, I couldn't possibly- its too beautiful- it must mean so much to you- I mean of course I would love- but I just simply couldn't-" She stuttered. "Hush Maria." Loveday soothed her, gently cupping her face with her hands, rubbing her worries way. "I want you to have it. My gift to you on this special anniversary. Anyway it doesn't fit me any more, so why should I keep it? And besides, it seems only fitting that you should wear a DeNoir dress to a DeNoir feast." She reassured her.

Loveday turned her back to face her reflection again. "You're going to take everyone's breath away." she whispered, squeezing her shoulders gently. "Especially Robin's." She added, winking. Maria saw and felt her cheeks darken. "I doubt it." She muttered. "What was that?" Loveday asked her. "Oh its nothing." Maria mumbled. Loveday raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. "Wait here." She said before rushing from the room.

Maria stood there, studying herself in the mirror, trying to picture what Robin would look like when she arrived, or what he would say about her wearing a Denoir dress. Would he like it? Oh she did hope he would like it. Maria bit her lip nervously. She was still unsure about thing between them, but there was no delaying the celebration, so if things were awkward between them then they would just have to brush it away and act like grown ups about it. After all they did have to...dance together. Maria gulped. Was she okay with being intimately close to Robin after how she had felt before? At that moment Loveday came back into the room, concealing something behind her back. Maria smiled at the memory that action dragged up. "Close your eyes." Loveday commanded. Maria obliged. She felt something being tied around her neck. "Okay, open them." when she did Maria's smile was so dazzling that it lit up her whole face. A black ribbon was placed around her neck, a beautiful contrast on her milky skin. It supported a beautiful ruby-red heart that had settled itself comfortably on her bodice. "Oh Loveday." Maria whispered. "Yes this is yours too Maria, no returns!" Loveday said smiling at her. Maria was so overwhelmed at her kindness that she felt tears prickling her eyes. "Now Now, there's no need to get emotional." Loveday said affectionately. Maria couldn't think of anything to say, so she just smiled at her in the mirror. "But what shall we do with this unruly mane?" She asked, smiling back at her as she ruffled her auburn curls.


	6. Returning To Normal

**Hi guys! Thanks for the reviews! can't believe I've had almost 1000 views on this! That's unbelievable! Anyway, just wanted to say thanks and everything!**

**I am SO sorry! I haven't posted for such a long time! I've just been crazy busy! But here's a LONG chapter for you! **

**This chapter is going to be from _ROBIN'S POINT OF VIEW. _**

**Which POV do you guys like better? Leave a review and lemme know! ^_^ (lol shut up nobody reads your stupid authors notes anyway you idiot) **

As we stood in the Grand Hall waiting for our guests to arrive I was battling with my instincts. Half of me wanted to run before Maria arrived or feign not feeling well in a desperate bid to escape my fate. The other, more rational part of me was telling me to grow up and act with gentlemanly honour for the feast, Maria deserved nothing less. She deserved the best. _Which you are not. _I was reminded harshly. Well, when I said _we _were waiting for our guests, I meant mainly my father, a few selective members of his council, and me. The rest of the DeNoir clan were already drinking and laughing merrily, listening to a band of musicians playing in the far corner. If there was drink to be had, and music to listen to you couldn't expect a DeNoir to wait for the guests to begin the celebrations. Well, most of them. I prided myself with resisting most temptations that your average DeNoir would have, such as alcohol abuse, adultery, general lust and the urge to fight anyone who looked at you. As we stood in front of William DeNoir's tomb I could feel my fresh scars, raised and bumpy, rubbing against the inside of my leather jacket. I absently scratched at the irritating itch.

"Anything wrong?" My father asked from my right, startling me a little. "What? Oh no, nothing." I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. It must have worked because the Coeur simply shrugged and said nothing more. That was until a younger DeNoir boy ran up to him and whispered something, then turned and joined the feast. "Right." He boomed. "Our guests have arrived!" He announced clapping his hands together. This earned a round of whooping and applause from the rest of the clan. But I barely heard the reaction as my heart was hammering in my ears. _This was it_. I thought."Robin, come, let us greet them." He said walking swiftly towards the giant and open wooden double doors. I had to jog a little to keep up with my father's huge strides. As we turned right and walked down the corridor to the matching set of double doors I could feel that my palms were sticky with sweat so I tried to brush them on my trousers. The Coeur swung open the door and an honestly happy smile bloomed upon his face as he looked upon our guests. Loveday was there, her arm linked with Sir Benjamin's. But I barely saw them, for behind them stood Maria, a small shy smile playing on her lips. I noticed Miss Heliotrope's arm protectively around her. Robin felt something twist inside of him. She didn't need protecting. At least not by anyone other than himself. No-one would dare harm her. Not here. Not while he still had breath in his lungs and a rhythm in his broken heart. _She's not yours to protect. _He reminded himself. But in the dim light emitting into the gloomy outside world she still looked so beautiful. He registered silence creeping its way into his ears. Only then was he aware of the fact that he had been stood there for several moments, just staring at Maria. So he pulled his gaze away from her and onto his sister, she looked so happy it made him feel happy for a moment. "Loveday." He breathed, throwing his arms around her in an embrace. He had to force himself to keep his eyes closed to avoid looking at Maria. Loveday returned his hug gladly. "Good to see you too little brother." She said gleefully.

Robin took a step back from her and just took her in. She looked stunning. He reached out a hand to greet the man who made her so happy. Sir Benjamin didn't refuse and shook Robin's hand gladly.

That was when the Coeur invited everybody inside, out of the crisp night air.

As everybody walked through the thresh-hold I hung back to fall in step beside Maria. "Hi." I whispered to her. She looked at me, a little taken aback by my impromptu greeting. But she smiled warmly at me nevertheless and whispered "Hi." back to me, and I could have sworn he moved closer to me as we walked down the corridor. As we turned into the Grand Hall the rest of the DeNoir clan began to cheer and whoop with excitement as they saw the arrival of their guests. A smile grew on my face, they were indeed a rowdy bunch, but they were always in the mood for a celebration and new company. My smile only grew wider as I looked at the wonder in Maria's eyes. This must have been the first party she had been too. Well, it would certainly be a night to remember.

I looked at Maria looking at the layout of the room; there were big black and red cloth banners hung around the whole room, tied to each fiery torch that was built into the walls high above the floor, linking them together like giant fabric chains. There were two lit torches either side of the door, both wide enough to fit in with the appearance of bonfires, four enormous wooden tables with benches on both sides took up a large portion of the hall, all of them stretched vertically towards the vast open space in front of a single wooden table, similar to the others but placed horizontally and considerably smaller. This table stood proudly before the tomb of William DeNoir, a suitable place for the Coeur and his guests to be seated. When Maria's eyes saw the large space before the table I saw her take a sharp shallow breath. She must have forgotten about the dancing. To be honest, I had for a moment as well, the thought of dancing with Maria nearly stopped my heart all together, but it slammed back to life when I looked down and properly took in her appearance in the now clear light. Her dress was breath-taking, it looked so...so..._DeNoir. _She fit in so well here. _But she shouldn't._ I thought. _She's too beautiful to fit in here. She's more perfect and radiant than the whole DeNoir clan put together. She's like a princess. She IS a princess. And you? You are nothing. Always remember that. She is a diamond, and you are dirt. You are the stuff people scrape off of their boots. You could never be worthy enough to hold her, to kiss her, to call her __**yours**__. You are barely good enough to look at her, you are only in her presence because she allows you to be, because she feels sorry for you, because she pities you. She pities poor little Robin, with hardly any friends and too many enemies. _

I shuddered. I wouldn't let anybody hurt her. Ever. I tensed up at the thought. Maria registered this and pressed her hand concernedly to my arm. She was so close to my scars that I wanted to rip my arm away. To keep her from my secrets. To keep the secret of my weakness. But I knew that would look suspicious, so I simply smiled reassuringly at her and lifted my right arm and placed my hand over hers to let her know I was okay. As we were led to our table the music, drinking and cheering stopped and everybody stood behind their long benches as we walked through a wide aisle in the middle of the four tables. The Coeur sat at the head of the table and Sir Benjamin sat at the other end. Loveday sat on the corner to his right, just in front of the tomb. Maria's matron and teacher Miss Heliotrope sat on the other corner to Sir Benjamin and I sat Maria down next to her and on the corner to my father, her back to the other tables. As she took my hand and lowered herself onto the bench I bowed and gave her a cheeky wink, at which she giggled, before I took my set on the other side of my father and next to Loveday, who gave me a look that I wasn't quite sure how to interpret.

I was half aware of the members of my fathers council dispersing from where they had stood respectfully beside the tomb and join a table on the left side of the aisle. I wasn't really paying attention, I was too distracted by Maria sat opposite me, her hair in be beautiful auburn ringlets that curled around the right side of her head in an organised fashion and left the other side of her neck completely exposed. A beautiful black ribbon coiled itself round her smooth skin and down her neck to join with a beautiful red heart that lay on her bodice. I followed it with my eyes and tried to calm my breathing. That corset was awfully _tight_. I was snapped from my inappropriate thoughts by my father's rising form and his booming voice. "Let the feast begin!" He roared happily. Everybody cheered as they retook their seats as the music started back up again and waiters came in serving food and yet more wine and ale. I had mug and so did Maria, the lack of fancy glasses and champagne not fazing her even for a moment. I silently wondered whether it was because she expected nothing better from the DeNoir clan or if because she really didn't mind, and liked the chance to just relax and not have to worry about being proper all the time. Miss Heliotrope however was not so pleased and looked quite taken aback by the copper coloured plates and mugs. She tried to whisper something to Sir Benjamin but he just gave her a wave of his hand and tucked in to his food. I noticed Maria did the same, her posture relaxed and happy as she chatted away gladly to my father. I smiled as I looked around the room and noticed everybody else was enjoying the feast. Except...I noticed a pair of cold green eyes transfixed on me. I tried to brush it off but the guy that they belonged to was making me feel uneasy. I vaguely recognised him, I'd seen him before of course, being the Coeur's son I knew nearly everybody in the clan, but with there being nearly 300 odd people in the clan, it was hard to remember everybody by name, especially those who lived in the village outside of the castle. I think his name was...Jared? No, No that wasn't it. Jamie? No that wasn't it either. I knew it was something beginning with a J though.

I shrugged and continued eating, it didn't really matter, and he wasn't a threat. I could handle anybody who wanted to try their luck against me. I looked up again, but this time it wasn't towards the mystery man, but towards the most beautiful girl in the world. Maria had finished her conversation with the Coeur, who was now talking with sir Benjamin over the table, and Loveday ad Miss Heliotrope were discussing something I wasn't really interested in, and Maria was taking small sips from her mug of wine. I took hold of mine and held it out to her, she smiled at me as the metal clinked together and we drank to something that didn't need to be said; the returning of normalcy between us.

Once everybody had finished eating the waiters came back and took all the plates and refilled everyone's mugs. Once they had left my father stood up from his smallish bench (He was a big man, he took up quite a lot of space.) clapped his hands together and the music stopped once more. His bold voice announced "Now that everyone has been fed and drank the barrels half-dry-" This earned him a round of cheers and applause. "It's time for the dancing!"


End file.
